Hydra Heart

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter 21: Washed Up

Vesta nudged the sleeping Shay with the tip of her boot. When the girl just rolled over in her blanket, Vesta took a different approach. She bent over, picked Shay up bridal style, and lifted her in the air. Then, she tilted her over, and let her fall, so the girl had no choice but to land on her feet.

"She is awake!" said Vesta. "I am going into town in a few minutes, do you want to come?"

Shay simply grumbled, followed by a yawn and a stretch. She grabbed her bag, filled it with the clothes she wanted to change into. They walked into town, basking in the cool morning air.

They found a place to get showered and ready for what they had to do today. Although, Shay didn't know exactly what that was.

"So, what are we doing?"

"We're going to find something for you to attack," Vesta responded.

Why is she like this? Shay wondered. She stopped the line of thought when she arrived at actual answers.

Farther into town, they found a public gym with a punching bag, and Shay politely asked to borrow a pair of gloves. Vesta walked her through some stretches, impressing Shay with her ability to put her leg behind the head.

"Alright, last night you were tired, but now, show me what you got."

Shay squared up to the punching bag and bounced on her toes. Alright, alright, focus... here we go. She leaned in and punched with all her strength. Her fist hit the punching bag at the exact wrong angle, she bent her wrist, and all her momentum went to the side of the bag. She tripped over her own shoe, and then landed face-first on the gym floor.

Vesta held out a hand to help her up, using her other hand to hide her mocking smile. She decided to explain further, "Keep your fist tight, and don't extend your arm all the way. Leave your fist closed until the punch is over. Lean in on the opposite foot of the fist you're striking with."

--

"Alright, well, I'll leave you to it, I have to go do some things." Vesta departed without another word, leaving Shay to put in her headphones and continue her work.

Vesta walked around aimlessly for a little while. She asked a stranger for directions, and corrected her course. Well, if Shay is exercising, I should hold up my end. Vesta decided to pick up the pace and start running. Not jogging, running, which got her some odd stares, considering she was near the center of town again.

Finally, she got where she needed to be, a laundromat. She walked in and was peacefully ignored by all the customers, but she received a polite wave from a clerk behind a desk. She approached the washer, and looked in her bag. Beneath her cash, Vesta found what she'd been thinking about. As she was packing up to go on this journey, she remembered she hadn't washed Molly's coat, and now she had the chance to fix it.

She looked at the machine and rolled her eyes. The clerk at the desk had watched her run inside and then open her bag and was incredibly suspicious.

Fuck, she's walking over here. Is that... is that a bloody rag in her hand? I moved from Alogos to get away from this shit. And, of course, as soon as I leave, they finally overthrow the government. Damn it.

"Do you take cash?" asked the woman, who baffled him with her nonchalance.

"Y-yeah, let me go get change for you." He went into another room to do as he said, feeling her eyes on his back. When he returned, the woman was still standing still and unbothered with the bloody rag in hand.